Trailtec 4x4 - Colorado Overland Build

[T4X Overland]

Well we have our JK all built up and it's a great setup for one man excursions but my wife usually goes and we we pull a little Intech Pursue camper trailer so I decided to go with a diesel Colorado this time around. The JK pulls it well around here but it really had to scream to get up the mountains in western VA. Having had a Cummins Ram as my last tow rig I really prefer how the diesel pulls.

I picked up this 2016 Z71 on Saturday with 35k on the clock so it should be a good rig for a while. Lately I've been on a year or less turnover rate so I need to get this one right this time so the wife doesn't kill me.

The plans so far are somewhere around 2-3" of lift and 32-33" Falken AT3Ws. The shell has it sitting almost level as it is so I'll have to piece together a good combo of lift to stay away from the Carolina Squat look.

I'll try to update this as we go.

Specs so far:

Suspension:

Front - Rancho RS7000 QuickLift 1.75" with a 1.25" leveling kit on top for 3" (ish) total. ReadyLift UCA, dif drop and swaybar relocation
Rear - ReadyLift 1.5" universal Add A Leaf with a 1" block - actual gain about 3.25" - Rancho RS7000 Silverado spec shocks for a little more travel than stock
Timbren SES bumpstop helper springs

Wheels & Tires:

Fuel Recoil 17 x 8.5, +7mm offset, satin black
Falken Wildpeak AT3W 275/70R17 C-rated

Armor & Protection:

AEV Engine Skid Plate
Factory Z71 flares

Misc:

Removed front air dam for clearance
Tow mirrors were there when purchased. Still deciding if they stay or not.

 

[T4X Overland]

Still planning out the full build plan but I had a minute of down time in the shop so I had to start something. Took the steps off about 5 minutes after I got home then today I pulled the air dam for a quick 5" or 6" ground clearance gain up front.

Then of course I had to do the obligatory set some tires next to it and see how they look picture. I lifted it up a couple inches and set some 285's that we had in the shop next to it but I'm thinking maybe just a 275.

 

[Graeman]

That is such a clean, nice looking truck.

 

[T4X Overland]

That is such a clean, nice looking truck.

Thanks. Hope to keep it that way as the build goes on.

 

[JCWages]

285 will require 1.25 or 1.5" wheel spacers or new wheels with <+15 offset to clear the frame and you'll have to do the usual fender mods and sway bar relocation bracket. A 255/80/17 will get you the ground clearance and be a lot easier to fit if you don't mind the narrow look. A 275 will require a 7mm+ wheel spacer and sway bar relocation bracket.

 

[T4X Overland]

285 will require 1.25 or 1.5" wheel spacers or new wheels with <+15 offset to clear the frame and you'll have to do the usual fender mods and sway bar relocation bracket. A 255/80/17 will get you the ground clearance and be a lot easier to fit if you don't mind the narrow look. A 275 will require a 7mm+ wheel spacer and sway bar relocation bracket.

Thanks for the info. I'm probably going 275/70R17 just to keep it slightly narrower but still get the 33ish height. I'll definitely be doing wheels with a slightly different offset but not too pokey. Maybe a +18 or 0 offset. We did some 265/80r16s on a customer's truck a couple weeks ago with stock wheels and a leveling kit and he had plenty of room all around so I don't see an issue getting another 1/2" of tire in there with a little more lift and the right wheel. I will definitely keep the swaybar in mind though. We are well versed in Jeeps and Toyotas here but we've only had a couple of Colorado/Canyons in the shop. I appreciate the detailed insight on what works. Sweet looking rig BTW!

As for lift I'm back and forth on that. It sits almost level now with the cap and I know I'm going to load it down and hook a trailer to it so I need to get the front and rear up about equal but not let it sag when loaded. Looking at a 1.5" AAL and a 1" block in the rear then either a Rancho 1.75" quickstrut or a Fox 2.0 all around. I know the Fox will be the better answer but even though I own the shop they still don't give me the parts for free so just like everyone else I have to resist going the cheaper route sometimes.

Planning on some Timbren SES bumpstop/helper springs to keep it from sagging too much in the rear with weight. They work great on my JK and I don't have to worry about popping a bag on the trail with them.

 

[JCWages]

Good plan!

I ran 255/75/17s when the truck was bone stock and only rubbed the front fender liner twice. I've also ran 265/70/17s on a stock truck with no issue until I added a 2" lift up front. The wheel shifts inboard when you lift so after that I would rub the frame with an aggressive tire (Duratrac or Wldpeak AT3W) but something milder like the Cooper ATP clears well. Moving the "waffle" forward for clearance is pretty easy. Trimming the rear of the front well is more tricky because of the plastic trim piece. I think I covered that stuff in my build thread here. If I didn't it's definately in the build thread on Coloradofans.

For the rear I think you are on the right track. AAL and blocks will reduce the rear sag when loaded without killing ride quality. OME now makes a rear leaf pack for our trucks and the reviews so far have been very positive. Ride quality improves dramatically. ARB / Old Man Emu Rear Suspension Now Available

 

[RJCanyon]

Welcome to the forums, sweet Z71!!

 

[T4X Overland]

Welcome to the forums, sweet Z71!!

Thanks!

 

[T4X Overland]

Good plan!

I ran 255/75/17s when the truck was bone stock and only rubbed the front fender liner twice. I've also ran 265/70/17s on a stock truck with no issue until I added a 2" lift up front. The wheel shifts inboard when you lift so after that I would rub the frame with an aggressive tire (Duratrac or Wldpeak AT3W) but something milder like the Cooper ATP clears well. Moving the "waffle" forward for clearance is pretty easy. Trimming the rear of the front well is more tricky because of the plastic trim piece. I think I covered that stuff in my build thread here. If I didn't it's definately in the build thread on Coloradofans.

For the rear I think you are on the right track. AAL and blocks will reduce the rear sag when loaded without killing ride quality. OME now makes a rear leaf pack for our trucks and the reviews so far have been very positive. Ride quality improves dramatically. ARB / Old Man Emu Rear Suspension Now Available

Cutting GM fender liners out is pretty regular event around here since they don't give us the room everyone else does. That's why I want to move it out a bit but not so far that the arc swings into the liners. There's always a balancing act there. Seems to be about 0 offset for Tacos and 4Runners. But either way where there's a will there's a way! LOL.

I've also thought about going to Deaver and getting a custom spring built for the rear. We aren't fans of OME around here because of the stiff ride but this may be a case where it's warranted. We get a lot of people that put their stuff on but never load it down and it rattles their fillings loose. We use Dobinsons for Toyotas but they don't have anything for the Colorado unfortunately.

It's all theoretical at this point of course. And as you know, it's a little trial and error with these less popular to build trucks. I like that though.

 

[T4X Overland]

Started the parts collecting today. Ordered a Rancho Quicklift for the front and some matching RS7000 shocks for the rear of a Silverado to get a little more length and travel.
The Quicklift is good for 1.75" and I plan on adding a spacer to that to get me in the 2.5"-3" range.
I think I'll add the block and AAL to the rear first and see how it sits before I figure out the spacer. I have one from a 1.25" leveling kit that I may have to machine down to fine tune it.
I plan on blending all of this with a Readylift SST 3" kit to get UCAs, dif drop, swaybar drop and a few other parts to round it out.
Also getting a quote on a couple wheels from my dealers. One XD wheel with 18mm offset and one Fuel with 7mm. Both look decent but theres really nothing out there with this bolt pattern and offset that gets me too excited.
Also ordered the Timbren SES and Hypertech speedo correction.

 

[T4X Overland]

Well the parts are starting to pile up but still not enough to get started on the lift. I did get the Falken's on the Fuels today so they're all ready to go.

Ended up going with the Fuel Recons with a +7 offset. Shouldn't be too much poke out but there may be a little extra trimming vs the +18 I was looking at. Basically an inch out from stock which should get me in line with the fenders.

 

[T4X Overland]

For those trips when I dont need the whole trailer I got this tent for the bed. Just caps off the back with the tailgate down so theres enough room to lay down in it.

 

[T4X Overland]

The great thing about owning a shop is that I get to build some pretty cool rigs. The down side is I have to cram my own builds in between.

So I only had time to get the rear done today but at least it's a start. Gained about 3.5" from a 1" block and 1.5" AAL. Should settle down but for now I've got a hot rod all jacked up in the back.

Oh and a big thanks to Chevy for putting the DEF tank too close to the driver side upper shock bolt. Had to drop the spare and lower the tank just to get the bolt out.

The last one is one of the cool builds we finished up today.

 

[T4X Overland]

Finished the lift today and got the wheels and tires on. Made a huge difference in the look. My wife may stop calling it the pappy truck now. Probably not but I like it. Lol.

Got the AEV engine skid on too. Had to modify it a bit since it's not a ZR2 and to work around the dif drop but it's still a good clean fit.

 

[T4X Overland]

Added some build specs to the first post. I'll try to keep that updated so they're not scattered all through out the thread.

Waiting on a second Hypertech speedometer correction to show up. The first one was DOA and the truck wouldn't even run with it in. They said it sounds like a bad wire or something.

Factory flairs should also be here today to add a little coverage to the new tires. I like a little poke out but the factory flairs look pretty nice and aren't too bulky looking. I think it will look pretty good with them.

 

[madcratebuilder]

You may want to look at the 589Fab skid plate mount reinforcement. It fits over the bracket that the 1st and 2nd plate bolt up. The factory bracket is very flimsy and bends with the slightest pressure.

 

[T4X Overland]

You may want to look at the 589Fab skid plate mount reinforcement. It fits over the bracket that the 1st and 2nd plate bolt up. The factory bracket is very flimsy and bends with the slightest pressure.

Just checked them out. Looks like nice stuff. I actually had to space it down with some washer there because of the dif drop but I figured I would do something more permanent when I add the front skid. Definitely needs a little something. Thanks.

 

[T4X Overland]

Got the second speedo correction unit in and it worked. So thats good.
Then the flares arrived about 5pm so I stuck around the shop and got them on too. I think it's all coming together well. Needs a little bit more trimming now that the flares are on but that's no big deal.
May need to hit a trail this weekend and see how it does.

 

[T4X Overland]

Well my back went out and I didnt make it to the trails. I did manage to pull the compressor and a bunch of other gear from my JK and move it to the Colorado. Haven't driven the JK since I did the lift on the truck and I think it's days will be numbered after a few shows we have scheduled in the fall.

Did some planning for a sliding bed platform and a dual battery set up. Ordered some locking 4' drawer slides for the platform to ride on and have been trying to figure out how to scavenge the parts from my Genesis dual battery kit from the JK and make them work in the truck. Sometimes the planning takes longer than actually building the rig.